fishermen in Indonesia were catching sharks and rays for centuries, using traditional boats and craft tools. For some families, catch a big fish was a blessing that could ensure their survival for a long time. Fishing methods, however, have evolved. Ignorance and greed have led some of them to use destructive fishing methods such as dynamite and cyanide fishing, which destroyed many areas of coral reefs Indo-Pacific. More boats equipped, often owned by foreigners or companies capture high value species such as tuna and other deeper resources off the coasts of fish (such as sharks), primarily for export markets.
In recent years, we are seeing a dramatic increase in demand for shark fin and gill rakers large ray, mainly from countries influenced Chinese. Shark fins are used for the preparation of shark fin soup infamous shark used in banquets and traditional Chinese holidays. Recently, probably due to the dramatic decline of shark populations, manta rakers and others are promoted as a panacea for a range of diseases, chicken pox and cancer, blood diseases. Although there is no medical evidence in traditional Chinese medicine on the curative effects, the volume of this market was estimated at about 80,000 kg of gill rakers generate a cash flow of approximately US $ 10 million per year.
The importance of these fish is not only environmentally friendly. They are wonderful and majestic animals, and many people around the world spend a lot of money to dive or swim in waters where sharks are abundant. A study in the Maldives found their shark at a value of $ 33,500 each for the government. No similar studies have been conducted in Indonesia, although the country, with few exceptions, is not recognized in the world as "Shark Destination". Tourists to see sharks normally go to the Maldives, Pulau (where in 2009 the first shark sanctuary in the world was created) or the Bahamas.
Because of their late sexual maturity and low fertility, sharks are particularly vulnerable to overfishing, and in many regions in Indonesia, they are simply disappearing. One of the most exploited fishing areas is the sea between Nusa Penida (South Bali) and Lombok, where each year thousands of thresher sharks (a magnificent animal as in some other parts of the world like the Philippines, attracting many tourists) are caught when they approach coastal waters, just before giving birth to young sharks. Fishing pregnant sharks is devastating to their population and lead to local extinction soon. A shocking fact is that Indonesia exports the largest volume of shark fin in the world, at 14%, followed by Spain and India with 9% each.
Shark meat is very valuable on the market, so many fishing boats just practice strategy "finning" of removing the fins of the animal while the body is usually thrown (often still alive ) in the ocean. Estimates of the . value of trade in shark fins varies approximately 1.2 billion US $ per year. Shark fin is probably the most expensive seafood products in the world, usually sold at US $ 400 per kilogram. It is not surprising that some shark species have decreased in population by nearly 80% over the past 50 years.
There are many economic and ecological reasons to protect these animals disappear. All hope is not lost: the first signs of a general awakening the public to the problem appear even here in Indonesia. Last month, a shark fin sales shop in Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport has withdrawn these products from their shelves because of the mass worldwide petition and the action of the local animal protection group Jakarta Animal Aid. Hong Kong-based airline, Cathay Pacific, has banned shark finning in its cargo flights and Singapore, some hotels and supermarkets have already banned shark fin soup from its menu. Public awareness advertisements on finning would reduce consumption by 25% in the past year. Even Taiwan has banned shark finning since 2011.
hope that international pressure will be able to protect these animals before it's too late.